Complete Plays, The (307 page)

King Richard III

Come, come, you mock me; this is not the way
To win our daughter.

Queen Elizabeth

There is no other way
Unless thou couldst put on some other shape,
And not be Richard that hath done all this.

King Richard III

Say that I did all this for love of her.

Queen Elizabeth

Nay, then indeed she cannot choose but hate thee,
Having bought love with such a bloody spoil.

King Richard III

Look, what is done cannot be now amended:
Men shall deal unadvisedly sometimes,
Which after hours give leisure to repent.
If I did take the kingdom from your sons,
To make amends, Ill give it to your daughter.
If I have kill’d the issue of your womb,
To quicken your increase, I will beget
Mine issue of your blood upon your daughter
A grandam’s name is little less in love
Than is the doting title of a mother;
They are as children but one step below,
Even of your mettle, of your very blood;
Of an one pain, save for a night of groans
Endured of her, for whom you bid like sorrow.
Your children were vexation to your youth,
But mine shall be a comfort to your age.
The loss you have is but a son being king,
And by that loss your daughter is made queen.
I cannot make you what amends I would,
Therefore accept such kindness as I can.
Dorset your son, that with a fearful soul
Leads discontented steps in foreign soil,
This fair alliance quickly shall call home
To high promotions and great dignity:
The king, that calls your beauteous daughter wife.
Familiarly shall call thy Dorset brother;
Again shall you be mother to a king,
And all the ruins of distressful times
Repair’d with double riches of content.
What! we have many goodly days to see:
The liquid drops of tears that you have shed
Shall come again, transform’d to orient pearl,
Advantaging their loan with interest
Of ten times double gain of happiness.
Go, then my mother, to thy daughter go
Make bold her bashful years with your experience;
Prepare her ears to hear a wooer’s tale
Put in her tender heart the aspiring flame
Of golden sovereignty; acquaint the princess
With the sweet silent hours of marriage joys
And when this arm of mine hath chastised
The petty rebel, dull-brain’d Buckingham,
Bound with triumphant garlands will I come
And lead thy daughter to a conqueror’s bed;
To whom I will retail my conquest won,
And she shall be sole victress, Caesar’s Caesar.

Queen Elizabeth

What were I best to say? her father’s brother
Would be her lord? or shall I say, her uncle?
Or, he that slew her brothers and her uncles?
Under what title shall I woo for thee,
That God, the law, my honour and her love,
Can make seem pleasing to her tender years?

King Richard III

Infer fair England’s peace by this alliance.

Queen Elizabeth

Which she shall purchase with still lasting war.

King Richard III

Say that the king, which may command, entreats.

Queen Elizabeth

That at her hands which the king’s King forbids.

King Richard III

Say, she shall be a high and mighty queen.

Queen Elizabeth

To wail the tide, as her mother doth.

King Richard III

Say, I will love her everlastingly.

Queen Elizabeth

But how long shall that title ‘ever’ last?

King Richard III

Sweetly in force unto her fair life’s end.

Queen Elizabeth

But how long fairly shall her sweet lie last?

King Richard III

So long as heaven and nature lengthens it.

Queen Elizabeth

So long as hell and Richard likes of it.

King Richard III

Say, I, her sovereign, am her subject love.

Queen Elizabeth

But she, your subject, loathes such sovereignty.

King Richard III

Be eloquent in my behalf to her.

Queen Elizabeth

An honest tale speeds best being plainly told.

King Richard III

Then in plain terms tell her my loving tale.

Queen Elizabeth

Plain and not honest is too harsh a style.

King Richard III

Your reasons are too shallow and too quick.

Queen Elizabeth

O no, my reasons are too deep and dead;
Too deep and dead, poor infants, in their grave.

King Richard III

Harp not on that string, madam; that is past.

Queen Elizabeth

Harp on it still shall I till heart-strings break.

King Richard III

Now, by my George, my garter, and my crown,—

Queen Elizabeth

Profaned, dishonour’d, and the third usurp’d.

King Richard III

I swear —

Queen Elizabeth

 
By nothing; for this is no oath:
The George, profaned, hath lost his holy honour;
The garter, blemish’d, pawn’d his knightly virtue;
The crown, usurp’d, disgraced his kingly glory.
If something thou wilt swear to be believed,
Swear then by something that thou hast not wrong’d.

King Richard III

Now, by the world —

Queen Elizabeth

’Tis full of thy foul wrongs.

King Richard III

My father’s death —

Queen Elizabeth

Thy life hath that dishonour’d.

King Richard III

Then, by myself —

Queen Elizabeth

 
Thyself thyself misusest.

King Richard III

Why then, by God —

Queen Elizabeth

 
God’s wrong is most of all.
If thou hadst fear’d to break an oath by Him,
The unity the king thy brother made
Had not been broken, nor my brother slain:
If thou hadst fear’d to break an oath by Him,
The imperial metal, circling now thy brow,
Had graced the tender temples of my child,
And both the princes had been breathing here,
Which now, two tender playfellows to dust,
Thy broken faith hath made a prey for worms.
What canst thou swear by now?

King Richard III

The time to come.

Queen Elizabeth

That thou hast wronged in the time o’erpast;
For I myself have many tears to wash
Hereafter time, for time past wrong’d by thee.
The children live, whose parents thou hast slaughter’d,
Ungovern’d youth, to wail it in their age;
The parents live, whose children thou hast butcher’d,
Old wither’d plants, to wail it with their age.
Swear not by time to come; for that thou hast
Misused ere used, by time misused o’erpast.

King Richard III

As I intend to prosper and repent,
So thrive I in my dangerous attempt
Of hostile arms! myself myself confound!
Heaven and fortune bar me happy hours!
Day, yield me not thy light; nor, night, thy rest!
Be opposite all planets of good luck
To my proceedings, if, with pure heart’s love,
Immaculate devotion, holy thoughts,
I tender not thy beauteous princely daughter!
In her consists my happiness and thine;
Without her, follows to this land and me,
To thee, herself, and many a Christian soul,
Death, desolation, ruin and decay:
It cannot be avoided but by this;
It will not be avoided but by this.
Therefore, good mother,— I must can you so —
Be the attorney of my love to her:
Plead what I will be, not what I have been;
Not my deserts, but what I will deserve:
Urge the necessity and state of times,
And be not peevish-fond in great designs.

Queen Elizabeth

Shall I be tempted of the devil thus?

King Richard III

Ay, if the devil tempt thee to do good.

Queen Elizabeth

Shall I forget myself to be myself?

King Richard III

Ay, if yourself’s remembrance wrong yourself.

Queen Elizabeth

But thou didst kill my children.

King Richard III

But in your daughter’s womb I bury them:
Where in that nest of spicery they shall breed
Selves of themselves, to your recomforture.

Queen Elizabeth

Shall I go win my daughter to thy will?

King Richard III

And be a happy mother by the deed.

Queen Elizabeth

I go. Write to me very shortly.
And you shall understand from me her mind.

King Richard III

Bear her my true love’s kiss; and so, farewell.

Exit Queen Elizabeth

Relenting fool, and shallow, changing woman!

Enter Ratcliff; Catesby following

How now! what news?

Ratcliff

My gracious sovereign, on the western coast
Rideth a puissant navy; to the shore
Throng many doubtful hollow-hearted friends,
Unarm’d, and unresolved to beat them back:
’Tis thought that Richmond is their admiral;
And there they hull, expecting but the aid
Of Buckingham to welcome them ashore.

King Richard III

Some light-foot friend post to the Duke of Norfolk:
Ratcliff, thyself, or Catesby; where is he?

Catesby

Here, my lord.

King Richard III

Fly to the duke:

To Ratcliff

Post thou to Salisbury
When thou comest thither —

To Catesby

Dull, unmindful villain,
Why stand’st thou still, and go’st not to the duke?

Catesby

First, mighty sovereign, let me know your mind,
What from your grace I shall deliver to him.

King Richard III

O, true, good Catesby: bid him levy straight
The greatest strength and power he can make,
And meet me presently at Salisbury.

Catesby

I go.

Exit

Ratcliff

What is’t your highness’ pleasure I shall do at
Salisbury?

King Richard III

Why, what wouldst thou do there before I go?

Ratcliff

Your highness told me I should post before.

King Richard III

My mind is changed, sir, my mind is changed.

Enter Stanley

How now, what news with you?

Stanley

None good, my lord, to please you with the hearing;
Nor none so bad, but it may well be told.

King Richard III

Hoyday, a riddle! neither good nor bad!
Why dost thou run so many mile about,
When thou mayst tell thy tale a nearer way?
Once more, what news?

Stanley

Richmond is on the seas.

King Richard III

There let him sink, and be the seas on him!
White-liver’d runagate, what doth he there?

Stanley

I know not, mighty sovereign, but by guess.

King Richard III

Well, sir, as you guess, as you guess?

Stanley

Stirr’d up by Dorset, Buckingham, and Ely,
He makes for England, there to claim the crown.

King Richard III

Is the chair empty? is the sword unsway’d?
Is the king dead? the empire unpossess’d?
What heir of York is there alive but we?
And who is England’s king but great York’s heir?
Then, tell me, what doth he upon the sea?

Stanley

Unless for that, my liege, I cannot guess.

King Richard III

Unless for that he comes to be your liege,
You cannot guess wherefore the Welshman comes.
Thou wilt revolt, and fly to him, I fear.

Stanley

No, mighty liege; therefore mistrust me not.

King Richard III

Where is thy power, then, to beat him back?
Where are thy tenants and thy followers?
Are they not now upon the western shore.
Safe-conducting the rebels from their ships!

Stanley

No, my good lord, my friends are in the north.

King Richard III

Cold friends to Richard: what do they in the north,
When they should serve their sovereign in the west?

Stanley

They have not been commanded, mighty sovereign:
Please it your majesty to give me leave,
I’ll muster up my friends, and meet your grace
Where and what time your majesty shall please.

King Richard III

Ay, ay. thou wouldst be gone to join with Richmond:
I will not trust you, sir.

Stanley

Most mighty sovereign,
You have no cause to hold my friendship doubtful:
I never was nor never will be false.

King Richard III

Well,
Go muster men; but, hear you, leave behind
Your son, George Stanley: look your faith be firm.
Or else his head’s assurance is but frail.

Stanley

So deal with him as I prove true to you.

Exit

Enter a Messenger

Messenger

My gracious sovereign, now in Devonshire,
As I by friends am well advertised,
Sir Edward Courtney, and the haughty prelate
Bishop of Exeter, his brother there,
With many more confederates, are in arms.

Enter another Messenger

Second Messenger

My liege, in Kent the Guildfords are in arms;
And every hour more competitors
Flock to their aid, and still their power increaseth.

Enter another Messenger

Third Messenger

My lord, the army of the Duke of Buckingham —

King Richard III

Out on you, owls! nothing but songs of death?

He striketh him

Take that, until thou bring me better news.

Third Messenger

The news I have to tell your majesty
Is, that by sudden floods and fall of waters,
Buckingham’s army is dispersed and scatter’d;
And he himself wander’d away alone,
No man knows whither.

King Richard III

I cry thee mercy:
There is my purse to cure that blow of thine.
Hath any well-advised friend proclaim’d
Reward to him that brings the traitor in?